Spurs have to settle for a possible Europa League spot while Leicester City win their group with a match to spare on a night of contrasting fortunes for Premier League clubs. Here’s how Matchday 5 of this season’s Champions League campaign played out.
Monaco 2 Spurs 1
It’s a fair indication of a Champions League campaign gone awry when a team’s best player is their goalkeeper.
And so it has proved for Spurs, who yet again had Hugo Lloris (5.5) to thank for delaying their elimination from a competition they have looked ill-suited to this season.
The French international saved a penalty and pulled off a string of superb saves in Monaco, but even he could not stop his side’s Champions League exit with a match still to play.
Lloris was badly let down by a makeshift defence that allowed their hosts 11 shots on target.
Mauricio Pochettino rested the Fantasy Premier League’s most-owned defender, Kyle Walker (6.1), with Kieran Trippier (4.8) replacing him. But it was the impending domestic ban for Danny Rose (5.9) that caused most of the problems.
With Jan Vertonghen (5.7) likely to deputise for Rose in Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, Pochettino decided not to risk the Belgian. Instead, he opted for Eric Dier (5.1) and Kevin Wimmer (4.6) as his centre halves and the improvised back four played like strangers for much of the night.
Harry Winks (4.5) kept his place after scoring in the 3-2 win over West Ham, while Dele Alli (8.1) and Heung-min Son (7.3) returned to the starting XI and the pair combined for Tottenham’s best chance of the night early on.
Kane (10.8) scored on the night – his fifth goal in his last four outings in all competitions, again converting from the penalty spot this time after Alli had been fouled.
The goal came just three minutes after Monaco had taken a deserved lead and, following Kane’s equaliser, the hosts’ winner then arrived a mere 38 seconds later – a fitting demonstration of Tottenham’s defensive shortcomings.
Spurs will now likely drop into the Europa League if they can seal third place in their group with a draw in their final encounter with CSKA Moscow.
Significantly, Pochettino was in a philosphical mood at the exit and the prospects of a Europa League campaign…
“Maybe after five games we do not show enough quality to share two tough competitions in the Premier League and Champions League…It is good for the club to go into the Europa League and try to go further in the competition. I think it’ll be good.”
Last night’s events, while issuing a warning on Spurs’ current form and confidence, will be welcomed by those Fantasy eyeing up Kane and his team-mates.
There’s no question that a continued Champions League campaign would have impacted on the prospects of Kane and certainly full-backs Walker and Rose. Pochettino would now seem likely to prioritise the Premier League campaign, hopefully keeping the rotation of his key assets to a minimum.
Spurs XI: Lloris, Trippier, Dier, Wimmer, Rose, Wanyama, Dembélé (Eriksen 64), Alli, Winks (Sissoko 74), Son (Janssen 64), Kane.
Subs not used: Vorm, Walker, Vertonghen, Nkoudou.
Leicester City 2 Club Brugge 1
While Spurs were drowning on the Mediterranean coast, things continued to go swimmingly in land-locked Leicester.
First-half goals from Shinji Okazaki (5.7) and a Riyad Mahrez (9.0) penalty won the Foxes the group as Claudio Ranieri’s charges continued to exceed all expectations in Europe.
The Italian made just one change to the side that lost at Watford. Midfielder Andy King (4.8) came in for Daniel Amartey (4.5) as Islam Slimani (8.3) recovered from a groin problem to keep his place.
That continuity helped Leicester dominate from the get-go. Christian Fuchs (5.4) provided the cross for the opener and Marc Albrighton (5.0) was fouled for the penalty as Leicester outclassed their winless opponents.
It was rather different after the break.
The Foxes conceded for the first time in Europe this season as the visitors finally showed some spirit and at 2-1, there were some nervy moments for the hosts’ defence to overcome.
But Leicester missed good chances to seal the deal on the break and can now finally concentrate on the league – for all the right reasons – until well into the New Year, as Ranieri was keen to stress post-match.
“In the Premier League, we are very close to the relegation and we must play at the same level as the Champions League because when we want to do something we achieve something. We must concentrate on the Premier League now.”
Leicester City XI: Zieler, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez (Schlupp 68), Drinkwater, King, Albrighton (Amartey 78), Vardy, Okazaki (Gray 68).
Subs: Hamer, Hernández, Musa,Ulloa.
